Finally the big day arrived. Thursday morning was a cold but sunny day without a single snow cloud in the sky—the perfect weather for going to a bazaar, Susan concluded as she hopped out of bed and dashed to the window.
Still in her nightgown, she crept across the hall to her sister’s room.
“Chris? Chris?” she whispered, opening the door slowly. “I know it’s pretty early, but we’ve got a lot to do, so I think you’d better get up....”
Once she opened the door, however, she found her twin already dressed, standing in front of the mirror above the dresser brushing her hair.
“Why, there you are, Sooz! I thought you’d never wake up! Have you forgotten what today is?”
And then when she saw the look of astonishment on Susan’s face, she burst out laughing.
“Come on, Sooz. Let’s get down to breakfast. You and I have got a bazaar to run!”
A few hectic hours later, the First Annual Town of Ridge-wood Christmas Bazaar was in full swing. The community room was filled with people—and every one of them seemed to be having a good time. There were several dozen folding tables covered in bright red and green tablecloths on which were displayed all the items that were for sale: crafts; cookies, cakes, and pies; secondhand goods; and the things that the local shopkeepers had donated. In the back corner was the display of John Pratt’s Christmas trees, scenting the air with the distinct fragrance of pine. Mrs. King was playing Christmas carols on the piano, adding the finishing touch to the holiday atmosphere.
And right in front, between the entrance to the community room and the towering Christmas tree that graced it, was the magnificent gingerbread creation that Susan and her grandmother had made: a house standing almost two feet tall with a gumdrop roof, mint-square windows, and a front door made out of a chocolate bar. White icing dripped over the roof made it look as if it had just snowed. And instead of flowers or bushes, there was a row of candy canes all around the base of the house. It was truly a sight to see, and so far hardly anyone had been able to resist buying a chance to win the totally edible house.
“Wow, this is quite a turnout!” Andy commented, coming over to the table displaying hand-knit items, a varied collection of sweaters and afghans and mittens and mufflers, where the twins were standing. They had just stopped off to say hello to the salesperson—who happened to be Emily Pratt.
“I’ll say!” Chris agreed. “I had no idea that this many people lived in Ridgewood!”
“Well, they’re not all from Ridgewood, you know.” Andy cast an odd smile at Chris, in response to her quizzical smile. “Oh, didn’t I mention that I put up Susan’s posters in some of the neighboring towns?”
“As a matter of fact, you didn’t.” Chris laughed. “But what a great idea! And I appreciate your going out of your way to help the bazaar be a success. But if you’ll excuse me, I’d better go tell Mrs. Washington to start making another batch of her hot apple cider. A very large batch!”
“I’ll go tell her,” Susan offered. “I was just heading over that way, anyway. I see that Brian just came in, and I wanted to go say hello to him.”
As she edged through the crowd, however, intent on getting over to the opposite corner of the room, Susan suddenly felt someone grab her arm roughly.
“I want to tell you something,” a voice hissed in her ear! “You and your sister are a bunch of busybodies. If you girls know what’s good for you, you’ll both start minding your own business!”
With a gasp of astonishment, Susan whirled around ... and saw Mr. Stone hurrying away from her, trying to disappear into the crowd.
She was still shaken when she reached Brian a few seconds later.
“Hi, Susan!” he greeted her—but his grin quickly turned into a concerned frown. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
She pulled him aside, into the corner.
“Brian, the strangest thing just happened! Mr. Stone grabbed me and ... and threatened me!”
“He threatened you? What do you mean?”
Susan told him what had just happened. When she had finished, Brian shook his head slowly and said, “Wow. That sounds pretty serious, doesn’t it? You know, I’m one of the last people to believe a rumor, especially a really negative one. But between what happened yesterday at Alfredo’s and what just happened here, I’m really beginning to get suspicious!”
Susan nodded. “It does sound as if Mr. Stone is up to something, doesn’t it?”
“And as if he wants to make sure that nobody finds out about it!” Earnestly, he said, “I think you’d better back off now, before this whole thing gets messy. It’s obvious that Mr. Stone knows you girls suspect something, and who knows how dangerous he might turn out to be? After all, embezzling hospital money is a very serious crime!”
“I know it is.” Susan thought for a few seconds, then said, “But don’t you see, Brian? That’s why it’s so important that he not get away with it!”
“Wait a minute, Susan. Are you saying that even though Mr. Stone has warned you to keep out of this, you still plan to continue with the Candy Cane Caper?”
She sighed. “I can’t back down now. Not when every day that I’m here in Ridgewood, I become more and more convinced that Mr. Stone is responsible for the children’s hospital’s financial problems!”
“But, Susan …”
“You don’t want Mr. Stone to get away with anything illegal—not to mention totally unethical and just downright low—do you?”
“No, but ...”
“And you don’t want the hospital to be forced to close, do you?”
“Of course not!”
“Well, then,” Susan said with a resolute nod of her head, “it’s settled. Chris and I will continue to try to get to the bottom of this. With your help, of course. You are still willing to help us, Brian, aren’t you?”
Brian couldn’t help laughing. “You’re a pretty persuasive person, you know that?”
“Do you think so?” Susan said with a twinkle in her brown eyes. “I guess I must have learned it from one of the experts—my sister!
“Now you and I need to discuss where the Candy Cane Caper should go from here. But all that can wait until later. As for right now, I think I’ll have some fun at this bazaar. Do some Christmas shopping over at the craft tables, browse through the books ... and maybe even buy a chance on that fantastic gingerbread house over there. After all,” she added teasingly, “I’m one of the few people in the room who actually knows how good it tastes!”
Susan took Brian by the arm and led him out of the corner in which they’d been chatting, back toward the festivities. “We still have plenty of time for our detective work. As for right now, let’s get this Christmas holiday under way!”
Chapter Eleven
“Well, girls, I’d say that a hearty round of congratulations is in order,” boomed John Pratt as the twins, still half asleep, wandered into their grandmother’s dining room in search of some breakfast’ early Friday morning. “That bazaar of yours really set this town on its ear!”
“That’s right,” his wife agreed heartily. “And we’re not the only ones who think so either!”
“What do you mean?” asked Chris, nabbing her eyes and wondering what on earth everyone was so excited about.
“Just take a look at this morning’s headlines, and you’ll see exactly what your grandmother means!”
Proudly John Pratt held up the Ridgewood Express, the town’s weekly newspaper. Sure enough, the headline on the front page read, “Holiday Bazaar a Great Success!” Underneath, in slightly smaller letters, it said, “Visiting Twins Organize Fund-Raising—and Fun-Raising—Event.”
“Those visiting twins are you and me,” squealed Susan, now fully awake. “Why, we’re practically famous in this town now!”
“Especially since our faces are plastered all over that front page as well!”
“Where? What are you talking about?” Excitedly Susan grabbed the newspaper away from Chris. And when she looked at the front page mo
re closely, she discovered that indeed, a large photograph of the Pratt twins was right below the headlines, where everyone in the town of Ridgewood was sure to see it.
It was an informal shot, one that the girls hadn’t even realized was being taken. Susan and Chris had been photographed while standing in front of the gingerbread house, laughing together and looking pleased that the bazaar that they had organized had turned out to be—-just as the headline said—a great success.
“There’s a long article about the bazaar, too,” John told them. He was obviously just as happy as they were about their sudden, and totally unexpected, stardom. “It’s all about how you girls came up with the idea in the first place because you wanted a way to raise money for the kids at the Ridgewood Children’s Hospital and all the work you both put into making it happen.
“As a matter of fact,” he went on with a wink, “even Emily and I are mentioned in the article . . . for all the work we put in!”
“That’s wonderful!” Susan frowned pensively. “But there’s one thing I don’t understand. How did the reporter for the Express know so much about what went on behind the scenes? I mean, no one asked me anything about it....”
“That’s exactly what I was going to ask,” her twin added. “We had no inkling that there was going to be an article. Yet someone managed to find out every little detail....”
“That’s easy!” Just then Andy strode into the dining room, grinning broadly. “The reporter who wrote that article—who happens to be Betty’s niece, I might add—got all her information from—shall we say an inside source?”
“You’re just full of surprises, Andy Connors, aren’t you?” Chris chuckled. “First you put up posters all over the entire area, helping make our bazaar as big a success as it was. And then you tell this reporter from the Express, Betty’s niece, all about us....”
“And turn you both into local celebrities.” Teasingly, Andy finished that sentence. “You deserve it, too. You both did a great job—and for a very good cause, too, I might add.”
“That reminds me,” Chris said, suddenly serious. “All this praise may be well and good, but Sooz and I still have some more work to do. Some very important work. We have to get going to the children’s Christmas Eve celebration. Tonight is Christmas Eve, don’t forget!”
“Work, work, work,” Andy teased. “Don’t you girls ever have any fun?”
Susan and Chris looked at each other and smiled.
“Andy,” said Susan, “the work that we do is fun!”
* * * *
As soon as they had finished breakfast, the twins got busy getting things ready for that evening’s Christmas party. Fortunately, the bazaar had raised enough money for them to buy decorations, refreshments, and presents for all the children. In addition, they had the contributions of toys and books that some of the local shopkeepers had made ... and a wonderful bonus that they hadn’t been counting on.
As they were about to leave the house late that morning to go over to the hospital and start setting things up, the girls received a telephone call.
“Hello,” said a strange voice. “I’d like to speak to one of the twins who organized the Christmas bazaar yesterday, please.”
“This is Christine Pratt speaking.” She couldn’t help wondering who on earth was calling her ... and why.
“My name is Frank Pierce. . . .”
“That name sounds awfully familiar,” Chris commented.
“I was mentioned in the newspaper article this morning. I’m the person who won the gingerbread house in the drawing yesterday.”
“Oh, yes.” By now Chris was more puzzled than ever.
“Well, uh, I bought a chance on that house to help the hospital raise money. And I was astonished when I won, since I never really expected to. But to tell the truth, I’m a bachelor who lives all alone, and now that I’ve got this fantastic cookie house sitting on my kitchen table, I realize that I don’t really have any use for it.”
There was a long pause, and then he said, “So if it’s okay with you, I’d like to donate it to the Ridgewood Children’s Hospital. I have a feeling that the kids over there could get a lot more use out of it than I ever could! Do ... do you think that’s a good idea?”
“Do I!” Chris cried. “Just tell me your address, Mr. Pierce, and I’ll be right over to pick it up!”
Although the girls were busy getting everything ready for the children’s party, they didn’t forget about the Candy Cane Caper. As a matter of fact, Chris kept insisting that Christmas Eve was the best time to carry out their undercover work.
“After all,” she told Susan as the girls headed down to the basement in search of Brian as soon as they reached the hospital, “things are bound to be a little disorganized today, I’m sure that many of the people who work here are planning their own little parties, so they won’t notice if we do a little snooping around the place. Besides, the main person we have to worry about is Mr. Stone, and chances are he’s taken today off!”
Susan nodded in agreement. “Okay, Chris. You’re right. But where do we start?”
“That’s easy. Mr. Stone’s office, of course.”
“Christine Pratt! We can’t go into his office! Why, that’s ... that’s private property!”
“So are the hospital’s funds,” Chris retorted. “Come on, Susan. I know that taking a look around Mr. Stone’s office is prying. But how else are we going to find out whether or not he’s involved in dishonest dealings?”
Susan frowned. “Well, you’ve got a point.... Besides, maybe it’s not even locked. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt if we just stuck our heads in and took a peek....”
“Well, there’s only one way to find out!” By that time, the girls were right outside Mr. Stone’s office. There was no light shining underneath the door, so it was a pretty safe bet that no one was in there. Chris looked up and down the corridor, saw that no one else was around, and put her hand on the doorknob.
It didn’t move.
She was about to inform her sister that Mr. Stone’s office was locked. Chris jumped.
“And what do you girls think you’re doing?” boomed an angry male voice, seemingly from out of nowhere.
Even before the twins spun around, their faces flushed pink, they knew who that voice belonged to—and that Mr. Stone had just caught them, red-handed, trying to break into his office.
“We ... uh ... I ...” Chris sputtered, still clutching the doorknob.
Her sister, however, did some fast thinking.
“Why, hello, Mr. Stone,” she said, her voice only shaking a bit. “We were just trying to get into Brian Barker’s office. He told us we could store the children’s Christmas presents in here....”
“What do you mean, Brian Barker’s office?” Mr. Stone demanded. “This isn’t Brian’s office!”
“It’s not?” Susan summoned up all her acting abilities—and managed to do a pretty convincing imitation of someone who was sincerely baffled. “But I thought ... he said ...”
“Brian’s office is across the hall.” He sneered. “Can’t you girls read?”
Wearing an expression of total innocence, Susan glanced up and pretended to read the sign on the door for the very first time.
“Why, you’re right!” she cried, sounding truly amazed. “This isn’t Brian’s office at all. This is your office, Mr. Stone!”
“And I’ll thank you two to keep away from it.”
“Oh, of course! Of course! Well, see you at tonight’s Christmas party,” Susan said brightly. And she started to move across the hall, toward the door to the computer room—Brian’s real office.
But all of a sudden Mr. Stone lunged toward her and grabbed her arm roughly, the same way he had the day before, at the bazaar.
“You’re darn right you’ll be seeing me at the Christmas party tonight! And I expect to see you, too. Both of you. If I catch either one of you sneaking off during the party, trespassing in this hospital, poking your noses into places where they don’t be
long ... Well, just don’t say I didn’t warn you girls!”
With that, he opened the door to his office with a key, returned the key to his pocket, and disappeared inside, slamming the door behind him. Chris and Susan immediately retreated into the computer room.
“Gee, Sooz,” Chris finally said. “He sure sounded mean!”
“And he sounded as if he meant what he said, too!”
“Now what are we going to do?”
“Why, what do you mean, Chris?” Susan was genuinely surprised. “You’re not going to let a few vague threats discourage us from going ahead with the Candy Cane Caper, are you?”
“Weil ... it is becoming more and more apparent that Mr. Stone is guilty. And we can’t do a thing about it until we find some proof.”
“Right. And that proof is obviously in his office somewhere. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be so upset that we were prowling around outside it.”
“But you heard what he said, Sooz. He’s going to be at the Christmas party tonight, and he expects us both to be there. How can we possibly be in two places at once—both at the party and down here looking for the evidence we need?”
There was a long pause ... and then Susan said softly, “Christine Pratt, I can’t believe you just asked me that. Have you forgotten that you and I are masters of disguise? Not to mention experts at fooling people ...”
Chris’s jaw dropped open. “Sooz! You’re not suggesting that we ... you’re not saying that you and I ...”
“Of course!” Susan returned matter-of-factly. “Why, what better way of getting around that nasty Mr. Stone than taking advantage of the fact that you and I are identical twins in order to trick him?”
“Well ... okay,” Chris agreed with a sigh. But then she grinned. “Oh, boy. Another chance to switch identities!”
“Or at least borrow each other’s for a little while!”
Just then Brian came into the computer room.
‘‘There you are!” he exclaimed. “I’ve been looking for you. Didn’t you say you wanted some help sneaking all those Christmas presents in here?”
“You bet. The trunk of our grandparents’ car is bursting with presents, and this would be the perfect place to keep them until tonight,” said Chris. “But before we start unloading them, there’s something we want to tell you about.”
The Candy Cane Caper Page 9